The National Road Safety Education Excellence Awards were presented under the National Road Safety Mission for Schools (NRSM), an initiative aimed at improving safety around school and educational zones while fostering a culture of road safety from an early age.
Launched by the India chapter of the International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with Academia Axis Edutech, the mission focuses on ensuring safe mobility for students across the country.
A total of 104 pioneering schools and 36 national student champions from 23 states were honoured for their contributions to road safety awareness and implementation.
The initiative has already reached around 5,000 schools nationwide, educating over 22 lakh students on road safety. Of these, approximately 4.65 lakh students have been designated as Road Safety Ambassadors, helping spread awareness within their communities.
As part of the mission, efforts have been made to improve infrastructure around school zones through low-cost engineering measures such as traffic signages, road markings, speed calming solutions, delineators, and road studs. These physical improvements are complemented by a customised digital road safety education programme for students from classes 1 to 12.
According to K. K. Kapila, President Emeritus of IRF, road safety education is conducted during school vacations to encourage participation from both students and parents. He highlighted that road safety has become a critical national concern, especially with the increasing number of accidents involving children near schools.
He further noted that India records nearly 1.73 lakh road fatalities annually, with 7–8% occurring near unsafe school zones. Importantly, over 80% of these accidents are preventable, underscoring the need for focused interventions like NRSM.
The initiative also advocates for the inclusion of a standardised road safety curriculum in schools, along with safety audits based on Indian Road Congress (IRC-32) guidelines. These audits are supported by online training and public ranking systems to improve accountability and awareness.
In addition, the programme promotes road safety awareness through creative student activities such as plays, quizzes, drawing competitions, and storytelling, while equipping schools with digital tools to monitor and enhance safety standards.
During its pilot phase under the Ministry of Education, IRF India conducted audits in multiple states, including Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.
The mission continues to expand across states, with a strong emphasis on implementing the “5 E’s” of road safety—Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Emergency care, and Vehicle safety—to ensure safer journeys for students across India.
